Great defenses more often than not take down superb offenses. Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino doesn't want to hear it.

It seems every time one of these games comes around, visions of Thanksgiving Day, 1971 are conjured.

In this particular rendition, Oklahoma played the irresistible force, Nebraska the immovable object.

No. 1 Nebraska entered the heavily hyped fray with a defense – filled with with seven first-team All-Big Eight selections and four players who would earn consensus All-America honors – that to this day many still consider the best in college football history.

The No. 2 Sooners countered on their home field with the nation’s most productive offense, a Wishbone attack averaging 45 points and 563 total yards per game (481 on the ground).

When the dust cleared in Norman, Okla., that superlative defense was left standing. Nebraska won 35-31.
Fourteen years later, the programs switched roles entering another late November showdown in Oklahoma.

This time around, No. 2 Nebraska boasted the nation’s highest scoring offense, with a ground attack racking up 395 yards a game. No. 5 Oklahoma countered with a highly potent running game all its own. But the Sooners’ defense, led by nose guard Tony Casillas, linebacker Brian Bosworth and defensive end Kevin Murphy, was even more impressive.

Oklahoma won 27-7 after holding Nebraska to 161 yards.

It is yet to be seen if No. 1 LSU’s defense will enter the pantheon of the game’s great defenses, as Nebraska ’71 and Oklahoma ’85 have. But in leading LSU through an undefeated first 11 games, a gauntlet including Oregon, West Virginia and Alabama, it so far certainly seems likely. As the Tigers look down the scope at their Nov. 25 game with No. 3 Arkansas, a team to which they have lost three of the last four seasons, they take solace in a defense superior to any of its predecessors.

The legacy of Arkansas’ recently vaunted offense, which has routed its last three SEC opponents, is harder to divine. It suffered mid-season hiccups in lackluster wins against Ole Miss and Vanderbilt, on the heels of failing a test against Alabama, the only team with a defense comparable to LSU’s.

Razorback apologists point out injuries kept key defensive players Jake Bequette and Tenarius Wright from that 38-14 defeat in Tuscaloosa, Ala., while running back Dennis Johnson hadn’t yet given an Arkansas offense built on passing the extra dimension it’s since developed. Besides, it was the first road start for junior quarterback Tyler Wilson, who now looks like a Heisman candidate heading into next season.

Despite all this cross-the-board improvement, history doesn’t favor the chances of an offense as good as Arkansas’ beating a defense as good as LSU’s on Friday in Baton Rouge, La. The side with the better defense typically emerges victorious, even if that elite “D” is unaccompanied by an elite offense.

Following are recent outcomes between teams similar to Arkansas in terms of per-game points (39) and total yards (463) averages and teams with defenses giving up less than 11 points a game (LSU allows 10 points a game, along with 248 yards). The stats below pertain to the entire season.

Despite this pattern, Arkansas fans shouldn’t take offense. Here are a couple games to reference this week when defending their program against those not-so-quiet LSU fans:

2000: Florida State (allowed 10.3 points, 277 yards) vs. Miami (Fla.) (averaged 42.64 points, 460.82 yards). But the Seminoles lost 27-24 in October to Miami, which also had a top-ranked defense.

2009: Nebraska (allowed 10.43 points, 272 yards) vs. Texas Tech (37 points, 470.77 yards). Nebraska lost 31-10. This October game is exceptional in that it’s the only recent case in which a defense the caliber of LSU’s this season lost to a prolific offense not accompanied by one of the nation’s best defenses. Still, Tech was limited to 259 yards, including 47 in the second half.

While historical patterns may not appear to support Arkansas’ chances, there are a couple unique X-factors to consider:

1) This game may be yet another ho-hum “Game of the Century” affair for LSU, a program used to vying for national titles, but it will be the largest sporting event in Arkansas since the Razorbacks’ December, 1969 loss to Texas, the No. 1 vs. No. 2 affair which launched the phrase “Game of the Century” in the first place.

2) Razorback Garrett Uekman died Sunday from an undiagnosed heart condition, a tragedy heaping motivation onto Arkansas players and coaches who already had plenty. If Arkansas gains in inspiration what it has lost in preparation because of Uekman’s death, that could prove the difference.

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2 Comments on “In latest Game of the Century, Arkansas’ Offense Battles History Alongside LSU’s Defense”

Any defense that gives up over 500 yards to someone and 450 through the air to an inferior opponent (WVU) has no business being labeled great. LSU’s defense is overrated. They played Tennessee, Florida, and Ole Miss when those teams had just lost their starting quarterbacks. Ole Miss and Kentucky are just awful to begin with. I will say that they are very good at forcing turnovers and converting those into points but other than that I’m not impressed.

You make a good point regarding the yards LSU gave up to WVU. But that was early in the season, and its defense has tightened (allowing only one touchdown in the last three games) just as Arkansas’ offense has improved since the Alabama game .

Both Arkansas’ offense and LSU’s defense are not only impressive statistically but have a lot of momentum coming into this game. That’s a major part of why I still consider the Tigers’ D “great”. And Arkansas is right there offensively. It’ll be interesting to see which side gives on Friday.